Readings:

PRAYER (traditional language) Almighty God, who didst give to thy servant Thomas Ken
grace and courage to bear witness to the truth before rulers and kings:
Give us also thy strength that, following his example, we may constantly
defend what is right, boldly reprove what is evil, and patiently suffer
for the truth's sake, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth
with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and ever.

PRAYER (contemporary language) Almighty God, who gave to your servant Thomas Ken grace
and courage to bear witness to the truth before rulers and kings: Give
us strength also that, following his example, we may constantly defend
what is right, boldly reprove what is evil, and patiently suffer for the
truth's sake, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever.

THOMAS KEN

BISHOP AND
NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711)

Thomas
Ken in the course of his lifetime was both rewarded and punished for his
firm adherence to principle. He was born in 1637 and reared by his half-sister
Anne and her husband the well-known angler Izaak Walton. He became a clergyman
and served for a year at the Hague as chaplain to Mary, Princess of England
and Queen of Holland, niece of King Charles II of England and wife of the
Dutch King William of Orange. During this year he publicly rebuked King
William for his treatment of his wife the said Mary, which may be why he
was chaplain there for only a year. Upon his return to England, he was made
Royal Chaplain to King Charles. The King had a mistress, Nell Gwyn, and
for his convenience wished to lodge her in his chaplain's residence. Thomas
sent the King a sharp refusal, saying that it was not suitable that the
Royal Chaplain should double as the Royal Pimp. Charles admired his honesty
and bluntness, and when the bishopric of Bath and Wells became available
soon after, he declared, "None shall have it but that little man who refused
lodging to poor Nellie!" Ken was accordingly made a bishop. When Charles
was on his deathbed, it was Ken whom he asked to be with him and prepare
him for death.

Under the next king, James II, brother of Charles, matters were different.
James converted to Roman Catholicism, the religion of his mother, and political
turmoil followed. James issued a decree known as the Declaration of Indulgence,
which decreed that various public offices formerly open only to Anglicans,
should thereafter be open to all persons. It was feared that the King would
appoint large numbers of Roman Catholics to positions of power, and eventually
transfer to them the control of the government. When the King commanded
the bishops to proclaim the Declaration of Indulgence, seven of them refused
to do so and were by the King's command imprisoned in the Tower of London.
The people of London rioted, and the bishops were freed and carried in
triumph through the streets of the city. Soon after, Parliament offered
the crown to the King's daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange
(see above) and James fled into exile.

William and Mary naturally began their reign by demanding oaths of allegiance
from all persons holding public positions, including the bishops. Thomas
Ken and others (known as the Non-Jurors -- the older meaning of "juror"
is "one who takes an oath," hence "perjurer" as "one who swears falsely")
refused to take the oath, on the grounds that they had sworn allegiance
to James, and could not during his lifetime swear allegiance to another
monarch without making such oaths a mockery. They were accordingly put
out of office.

The bishops of Scotland also refused the oath, and William and Mary
retaliated by disestablishing the Church in Scotland and making the Presbyterians
the official state Church there instead. Therefore, we have in Scotland
today the Kirk of Scotland (a Presbyterian Calvinist group which is the
established Church there), The Episcopal Kirk of Scotland (an Anglican
Church, what is known as a "free" Church in the sense of having no ties
with the government), the Free Kirk of Scotland (broken off from the Kirk
of Scotland), and the Wee Free Kirk of Scotland (broken off from the Free
Kirk--everyone calls them the "Wee Frees" and I do not remember their official
name).

Thomas Ken became a private tutor and spent the rest of his life in
retirement. He died 19 March 1711 and is usually commemorated on 21 March.
During his lifetime he was known for his books of sermons. Today, he is
best known for several hymns that he wrote, such as those beginning: